Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The problem with having such a huge cast of characters is that I can't always find a good reason to bring back characters I'd like to revisit.

Charlaine Harris
Charlaine explains the importance of Walmart -whether you like them or not
1011 crossfox 2010-07-19 12:14

The deep meaning of the Walmart references is that many, many small-town residents rely on Walmart for many of their needs. We will not get into the politics of that here. However, rest assured that no sponsorship agreement exists. If authors were able to obtain brand sponsorships, more of them would be able to quit their day jobs a lot sooner.

1012 duckpond100 2010-07-20 07:03

Sponsorship? I have no idea how that would work, but an interesting idea. However, I'd rather be sponsored by an upscale jewelry store!

julia_petruniak, you obviously do not live in a small Southern town. Wal-Mart is the social center of the town, for towns lucky enough (I know, moot point) to have one. Especially if you have a Super Center!

Charlaine Harris

Which came first Sookie or Bella ?
books, I don't want them to end.

1594 duckpond100 2010-07-18 08:32

I hope I don't need defending for not being "Twilight." There's no rivalry between Stephenie Meyer and me. People can read both series and enjoy them, I hope, and I've met many people who do. It's not like you had to back one series or another, that there was a struggle for supremacy!

The only issue I've ever had is being accused of "ripping off" Meyer's plotline. Since my books predate hers by years, that is inaccurate and insulting. But that's a mistake her fans make, not Stephenie Meyer herself!

TUNICA, Miss. - The HBO hit "True Blood" has its roots set firmly in the Mid-South. The vampire soap is based on a series of books by Tunica native, Charlaine Harris.
FOX13's Valerie Calhoun sat down with Harris at her family's Tunica home and for perhaps the first time, Harris opened up about what happened to her in Memphis that changed her life and the way she creates her female characters.

The dark world of 'supes,' as in supernatural creatures, is alive and well on the HBO series, True Blood. The fang-tastically outrageous show is based on Charlaine Harris' "Dead" series.
It is a world inhabited by vampires and werewolves, worlds away from Tunica, Mississippi where we caught up with Charlaine in her mother's home. It's a town where cotton was king and poverty was his queen until the casino industry took root.

"This region has long reputation for tolerating eccentrics," observed Charlaine.

I haven’t talked much about the BBC series Being Human, but it’s the perfect time to start – the first season (or “series”, as the crumpet-munchers say) of the show hits DVD this week and series 2 will be washing up Stateside on BBC America soon.
The show revolves around three London Bristol flatmates who happen to be a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost (who died in the flat and is left haunting it). There’s a lot of fun play with the whole roommate dynamic, but with a supernatural twist – I mean, it’s one thing to have to vacate your apartment because your roommate is getting some action, but it’s something else entirely when you have to make yourself scarce because he’s turning into a wolf.

This episode, “Trouble,” was kind of flawless. It may be my favorite of the entire series.

I’ve been chewing on why this television morsel tastes oh-so-sweet, and here’s what I’m thinking: It perfectly balances the multiple dichotomies of the show. Humor and terror, sweetness and cruelty, sex and romance… we get just the right amount of everything. And perhaps just as importantly, the funny moments spring from the scary ones, the cruelty springs from the sweetness. It’s much more satisfying when one element leads organically to another.

Take what happens with Eric. He starts the episode all silly-flirty with Russell and Talbot as he tries to manipulate the V situation. This leads to Talbot’s lust-face as he takes Erik on a tour of his expensive old junk, and I’ll tell you… that mess is hilarious. Theo Alexander plays his lusty antiques collector with so much verve that I want him to have his own talk show. Possibly with Mo’Nique.

Anyway, the great thing is that the tour prompts Eric’s discovery of his dead father’s viking crown. And then.. boom! We’re sucked into a somber, affecting flashback about how Mississippi Russell instructed werewolves to murder Eric’s family just so he could steal some bling.

If the "True Blood" television series and the original Sookie Stackhouse novels aren't enough to satisfy your craving for all things Bon Temps, don't worry — series creator Alan Ball is doing bad things to you in comic book form now, too.
Released through IDW Publishing, the first issue of the "True Blood" comic book series arrives in stores later this month, courtesy of a story from Ball and television series writers Kate Barnow and Elisabeth Finch. The issue itself was written by the team of Mariah Huehner and David Tischman with art from David Messina.Want to know whether or not the first issue is worth sinking your fangs into? All you need to do is hit past the jump for our advanced review of "True Blood" #1! THE GOOD: There's a lot to like about the first issue of the new "True Blood" comic book series, with its action-packed and mysterious story right at the top of that list. For all of its compelling qualities, the televised version of "True Blood" doesn't always excel when it comes to action sequences, largely due to budgetary constraints. In the comic book format, however, budget isn't a concern. As a result, "True Blood" #1 dives head first into the thick of the action by introducing a brand new creature to the world of Bon Temps — a tentacled humanoid menace calling himself Ted. A fascinating character with an as-yet-unknown grudge against our favorite Merlotte's regulars, Ted is the focal point of the issue, violently lashing out with his delightfully disturbing appendages, expertly drawn by David Mussina. I'll certainly be tuning into issue two to find out more about Ted.But Ted isn't the only character worth looking forward to. Many of your favorite "True Blood" characters are on hand as well, from the obligatory Sookie and Bill to Jason Stackhouse and Lafayette. They stay true to their characters, even if their foul language is downplayed significantly. For fans of the show, it's a lot of fun to see these guys on the paneled page.

If Lafayette Reynolds were a real person, he’d have actor Nelsan Ellis to thank for saving his life. As fans of Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire books know, Lafayette is murdered early on in the series. The books are the basis for the HBO hit series TRUE BLOOD, one of the few genre shows ever to be nominated for a Best Drama Series Emmy (as it is this year). Ellis’ performance as Lafayette so impressed TRUE BLOOD creator Alan Ball that the outspoken fry cook/V dealer character has survived as an integral element of the show, now in its third season.

Initially, Ellis says, Lafayette’s longevity came as a surprise to him, as he was familiar with the character’s fate in the books. “I knew [Lafayette was going to live] after the table read of the twelfth episode. So throughout the whole first season, I thought I was dead. Alan said they had decided to keep me during the pilot, but he didn’t tell me,” Ellis laughs.